Okay, let's get something straight.  I don't like John Denver.  I LOVE John Denver.  Most people wouldn't know the extent to which he is a hero of mine because I play piano and my YouTube channel is so packed with Billy Joel & Elton John songs....but John Denver is my #3, and one of the most important influences of my career.  He had a way of making you feel like he was singing just to you, as if you were in his living room on the couch, even though you were in a crowd of thousands.  I try to bring that element to my performances as well.

This is far from John's most famous or successful song, but it's a favorite of mine.  He released it on an album called Windsong in 1975, and then as a single in early 1976.  It was overshadowed by the success of the other singles from that album, "Calypso", "I'm Sorry", and "Fly Away", which all performed much higher on the charts.  But this lovely number had its own successful release, cracking the top 30 (#29) on the Billboard Hot 100, and topping the Billboard US Easy Listening chart.  It also hit #30 on the US Country chart, and #4 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart.  So, it certainly got a taste of fame.

What I love most about it is John's pure and soaring vocals.  There are few things I enjoy more than hearing John Denver's voice open up to belt out a high G.  He had the most honest voice I think I've ever heard, and I love how he found his place in the industry in a genre nobody can define.  is it country?  Not really.  Is it pop?  Definitely not...but it is popular.  Is it folk?  No...has some folky elements, but definitely not pure folk.  What the hell is it??  Nobody knows...it's just John Denver.  He was turned into something of a punchline for years, and was given far too little credit for the originality of his sound and style.  Now, nearly 30 years since his untimely and tragic death, he is getting more of the respect he should have received all along.  But I fell in love with his voice and his songwriting immediately upon hearing them.

Although, I have to admit...John has been a bit of a source of frustration for me over the years.  I want to be able to sing like him, but my voice naturally is a little lower in range and just has always had an edgier timbre to it.  So, seldom when I reach for those higher "belt" notes, do I land them with the clarity and purity that he did every single time without fail.  Sometimes it bothers me....I want to be able to do everything, but like everyone....I can only do some things.  

Luckily, when I do get frustrated in my failures to sing like John, I have John's wisdom to sooth me and bring me back to a productive creative space.  John knew who he was, what he was good at, and what he wasn't so good at.  And he focused himself where he could shine, rather than try to be something else.  That's a good lesson for me...focus on what I'm best at, and dabble at the rest a little on the side for fun.  I miss John...I only saw him one time before he died when I was 17, but it was one of the best concerts of my life, and I'm sure I would have followed him around like a lunatic for years.  But I feel like he's with me every time I sing one of his songs, and I try to honor his genius by focusing on what I'm best at.

Enjoy my cover of this song from May 14, 2024, and then check out my favorite performance of it by John himself during his heyday in Australia with a full orchestra in November of 1977. 

If you'd like to explore my piano method more deeply, my best students use my video courses and join me for conversation and twice monthly Q&A Livestreams in my private community...you can find it all HERE. Thanks.

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